


Sugar Maple

by alastairWright, ArchOfImagine



Series: Inosculation [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Drugged Sex, Forced Relationship, Genius Bucky Barnes, Half-Arc Story, Implied Mpreg, M/M, Mildly Dubious Consent, Minor Original Character(s), Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, POV Bucky Barnes, President Alexander Pierce, President's Kid Bucky Barnes, Prince Steve Rogers, Swedish Steve Rogers, Temporary Unhappy Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-24
Updated: 2019-10-24
Packaged: 2021-01-02 04:27:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21155597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alastairWright/pseuds/alastairWright, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArchOfImagine/pseuds/ArchOfImagine
Summary: Bucky Barnes, genius omega, adopted son of President Alexander Pierce, got a newmissionfrom his father. He was being sent to New York to finish the last of his degree, and while he did that, he was towoosomeone that Pierce wanted an alliance with.Woo! He had barely spenttimewith alphas... and suddenly he was supposed to 'woo' one?!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Couple things:
> 
> 1) I want to, on behalf of myself and alastairWright, offer an immense thank you to both of our artists! This project was literally something of a wild mess, and you both were amazing about dealing with it's quirks! [captain-dorito-is-a-snack](https://captain-dorito-is-a-snack.tumblr.com/) and [justaglitteryfan](https://justaglitteryfan.tumblr.com/)... THANKS!!
> 
> 2) This 'story' is broken up into three different parts. **Sugar Maple** is Bucky's pov for the events that take place. **Ornäsbjörk** is Steve's pov for the same events. And then everything is finished up with **Blossoms & Roots.** They're all a part of the same series, named **Inosculation.**
> 
> You have two options for reading: 
> 
> Option 1: Read each story separate. (If you do this, you can pick either Sugar Maple or Ornäsbjörk first. They should both stand on their own. But do Blossoms & Roots last, because it is the ending.)
> 
> Option 2: Follow the story's timeline of chapters. For this option, we've provided helpful links at the bottom of each chapter, to take you to the next part for reading. :)
> 
> 3) So the idea for this 'half-arc' story format, was to show an in depth point-of-view story from each side, where each part was written by a different author. I know it's a bit different, but I hope you enjoy! (I call it: RPing for grown-ups!)

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/185169885@N02/48957553026/in/dateposted-public/)

Bucky Barnes was twelve years old when his family died. His parents were on the way to pick him up from an omega-only summer camp, when they were hit by a drunk driver and all died on impact. 

Some days he could close his eyes and still remember his mother’s soft scent of lavender and sandalwood. 

He’s never been able to remember his father’s scent. 

Bucky was thirteen when he was finally adopted. A man named Alexander Pierce (New York State Senator) showed up at the orphanage and wanted a ‘low maintenance’ (read: older, able to take care of themselves) child to adopt. He waved some money around the orphanage and Bucky was hand-picked as the best candidate to be adopted. 

Thirteen year old Bucky was still too traumatized to speak up much, even still over the next eight months it didn’t take a lot of effort for the orphanage to figure out that he was _special_. He had used his trauma as an excuse to throw himself even more completely into his school work — when his parents died, he had just finished his first year of high school. By thirteen he was working on junior year assignments.

Pierce told _everyone_ about his ‘genius omega’ and used the adoption as a platform for his presidential campaign. Proof that he cared about all aspects of life — including family life. 

It was mostly bullshit, though. 

Entirely bullshit on a bad day.

Bucky started online college courses when he was fifteen. He asked to go to a real school, but Pierce had just become president and it was decided that the security risk was too great. In reality, Pierce couldn’t control him if he wasn’t right there under his nose.

At eighteen he was two semesters away from getting his degree. He had been somewhat forced into a double major — because Pierce had made it clear that Political Science was _required_, which meant that if he wanted to learn engineering, he had to do the extra work. 

It would all be mostly pointless, though, because Pierce definitely wasn’t going to allow him to have an actual _job_ with any real meaning. It was more likely that Pierce would use him, use his eidetic memory and skill with languages to intercept important information at various events. Pierce didn’t see a _child_ when he looked at Bucky. He saw a soldier, plain and simple.

“James.”

He looked up, focus shifting from his mechanical engineering textbook to where Natasha, his personal assistant, stood at the entrance to his study. Honestly, the only benefit of being the president’s son was his large suite of rooms. His bedroom was bracketed with a personal study/office and a living room area that also had a small kitchenette, so he didn’t have to order snacks and tea from the main dining room and kitchen service downstairs.

“Yes?”

Nat was holding onto a tablet that she never seemed to be without. “The President has asked to see you at four.”

“Meeting or meal?” His attention went back to his book. If Pierce wanted his attention, it was probably to flaunt him in front of some cameras for publicity’s sake.

“Meeting. _Private_ meeting.”

His eyebrows scrunched together in a frown. That was a new one. Usually Pierce allowed all of their private correspondence to happen via assistants and nicely worded memos. His heart started racing a bit at just the idea of what could be so important to require a _meeting._ “Did… did he say why?”

Natasha, the person who knew him above all others, shook her head and moved over to the cabinet on the west wall. “No, unfortunately not.” She rummaged inside the cabinet for a minute, before bringing over his pill bottle of anxiety medication. “Let me get you some fresh water.”

* * *

The anxiety meds were definitely a good plan. In fact, he was almost wishing he had brought the bottle so he could take another dose. As he stood across from Pierce — in the oval _fucking_ office because Pierce was a god damn diva — he kept his hands clasped behind his back and his head down. 

Pierce had just finished explaining exactly what he wanted from Bucky. 

“I… I…” His voice wavered. He couldn’t! “I can’t,” he finally whispered.

“Don’t _mumble_, James! Haven’t we had this discussion a thousand times?” Pierce punctuated his words with a slam of his fist down onto his desk.

“I _can’t!_” He said again, voice louder, firmer. “I haven’t… I don’t know how to make someone _fall in love_ with me!”

Pierce snorted, the mean sort of laugh that he liked to produce at Bucky’s expense. “I am well aware of your shortcomings as an omega, James.” He made no effort to speak up. Just as well, because Pierce continued without care for his opinion or argument. “I have contacted a friend and hired a _consultant_ to help you. He lives in New York and you will arrange weekly meetings to properly meet his standards.”

“I—”

“You will also complete your studies without letting this nonsense get in the way of your grade averages.”

He nodded. “Of course.”

“Above all else, though, I want to make it _abundantly_ clear that no one is to know about this meeting and what we have discussed. Understood?” Pierce stood, moving around his desk and stopping in front of Bucky. He reached out, using his thumb and finger to raise Bucky’s head so that they were eye to eye. “If this comes out, it will do the _opposite_ of its intended purpose. And we all know what happens to misbehaving omegas, don’t we?”

There was no way to hide his shudder of fear. “Yes, sir.”

“You have three months, James. Do _not_ let me down.”

* * *

Despite Pierce demanding that he keep the whole thing a secret, Bucky got back to his suite and immediately broke down, telling Natasha everything that had transpired in the meeting until she was fuming, ready to plan an assassination.

“How dare he demand something like that from you!”

Bucky slumped in his favorite chair and cuddled the cup of tea that Nat had ready for him when he returned. It was still too hot to drink, but watching the puffs of steam rise up was already calming his mind. “Honestly, I’m surprised he waited until I was eighteen to pull this move.”

Natasha was messing around in the kitchen, and when she finally walked back over to sit on the couch across from him, she had a glass of bourbon and a peanut butter sandwich in hand. “Remember those things we’ve talked about? I think it is time to start moving forward with those plans.”

Every Monday morning Clint, Bucky’s main secret service agent, would come into his suite and check for hidden cameras or listening devices. Clint, before he was hired, had already been one of Natasha’s closest friends. She had done what she could to get him hired, just so that they would have someone on their side. Most of the other agents were completely loyal to Pierce — which was not a fun thing to have working against you, if you were one of Pierce’s enemies.

So it had only been a couple days since the last check for listening devices, but Natasha was always vigilant about only divulging certain things out loud while inside the White House.

It didn’t take much effort to figure out what she was referring to, though. Getting out from under Pierce’s control had been a topic they discussed for _years_. As long as he lived there, he would always be a puppet on a string… a perfect soldier for Pierce to utilize however he saw fit. But if Bucky could somehow find a way _out_, then he could start becoming his own person.

The problem was getting out. Inside of the White House, Pierce controlled every aspect of his schedule and his whereabouts.

But if he was in New York…

“He will most likely send Rumlow to keep everything running the way he sees fit,” Bucky pointed out.

“Maybe. But Rumlow will ask to split the week in D.C. You know he doesn’t like to be too far from his harem.”

_Gross._ Brock Rumlow was one of the disgusting alphas that felt he was God’s gift to the world and all of omegakind… and he showed off that fact by using Washington D.C.’s lax laws against omegas, to his advantage. He wasn’t ‘married’ to any of them officially, but he was mated to _all_ of them. Five. Five omegas that he used as his own personal sex slaves. 

“Can we decide once we’re in New York?” He finally sipped at his tea.

“Of course. But I will have a conversation with Hawkeye to get his opinion, as well.”

* * *

Whatever he was expecting of his living situation in New York… it definitely wasn’t the plush penthouse apartment he was greeted with. Movers had already handled transferring his and Natasha’s things to the apartment, so they landed on the helipad atop the building with only their necessities — a laptop backpack for Bucky, and a weekender bag for Natasha. As they explored the apartment and picked out their respective rooms, Bucky felt more and more uneasy.

“There has to be a catch. I expected him to put me in some tiny room with five roommates.”

Natasha threw her bag onto the queen sized bed in her new room. “You know how he is with appearances. The press secretary has spun this as an important stepping stone for your introduction into society.”

Which meant the press already knew where he would be living for the next three months. Bucky sighed and went to the kitchen, hoping someone had stashed a few sugary items in the cupboards when they were stocked.

As he was scavenging, the front door opened and Clint walked in, decked out in his black suit and radio since he was on duty for the day. Clint practically collapsed onto one of the kitchen barstools. “This is a big fucking building to sweep. It’s almost like Pierce _wanted_ to make it easy for people to attack you.”

The cup he had just reached for, slipped from his hand to land with a dull thud on the counter below. No…

“Well that is just fucking awesome,” Natasha growled, stepping into the kitchen. She swooped in to pick up the cup and moved to the fridge without asking for Bucky’s permission. (Sometimes Natasha was the mother he could barely remember having.) “We don’t have enough to worry about here? Now we have to expect that someone might be using this location to plot an attack?”

Clint looked apologetic about the circumstances, despite the fact that it obviously wasn’t his fault. He scratched at the back of his head. “Rumlow has us running one man teams, too. We only ever run one man teams when the mark is at the House and more secured. Even then, it is rare.”

Bucky’s hands were shaking as he fussed with trying to open the package of chocolate chip cookies he had found. “It’s a back-up plan. Pierce’s way of telling me that if I don’t follow direction, he can make sure something happens to change my mind.”

A glass of milk slammed down on the counter in front of Bucky. “Fuck him. Hawkeye? Call up the SHIELD team. Fury owes me a favor. Ask them to run protection from afar.” Clint nodded, already pulling his cellphone out. Natasha continued, “Have you ran a check of the apartment interior?”

“Yeah. Cleared. I also set up a machine in the laundry room that will keep it that way, as long as Rumlow doesn’t find it. I figured that was the smartest location — that idiot hasn’t done his own laundry in this lifetime.”

“Good. Anything else we should know?”

“Floor below is occupied by Barnes’ new _consultant_ omega.”

Bucky had a cookie halfway to his mouth when he stopped and turned around to face Clint. “Wha’?”

“His name is Thor Odinson. Big tall dude. Never seen someone that big that is an omega. Honestly wouldn’t have believed it if he wasn’t so obviously…” Clint cut off, eyes big as he made a rounded motion with his hands, in front of his stomach. “Haven’t met his alpha mate, yet, but Odinson seems like a nice enough dude.”

Natasha went back to scoping out what was in the fridge. “And Rumlow? When can we expect him?”

“From what I was told, he will come up once a week for team meetings, other than that, he won’t be around. You get me, Lang, and Chavez working a rotating schedule.”

Bucky sighed. “If being in danger means not having that douchebag hanging out all of the time, then I will take it. Every time he’s near me, I think he wants to make me part of his harem.”

“Yeah,” Clint nodded. “One of the reasons he isn’t around. He’s pissed off at the boss man for this whole plan of his. He wanted you all for himself.”

Of course he had. Maybe New York could be a blessing after all. He had at least two people on his side for whatever was coming. “I’m going to go lay down. Read some before bed.”

“0600 for orientation before class,” Natasha reminded him. Bucky waved her off as he carried his milk and cookies back towards the master bedroom.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you are reading things based on the proper timeline:
> 
> \--- **[CLICK HERE FOR NEXT CHAPTER](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21155711/chapters/50351990)** \---


	2. Chapter 2

His first day of classes in an actual classroom was more than a little overwhelming. Thankfully someone had thought ahead to make sure that Natasha could be there with him through all of his classes (pretending to be a student/roommate/friend), because if he didn’t have her to help him find his class and to sit next to him… well, he probably would have had an all out panic attack. As it was, he spent most of the time taking more notes than he needed and keeping his head ducked for fear that someone would realize who he was and draw attention to it.

Thankfully Pierce had one redeeming quality: he only forced Bucky into the limelight when it was necessary. Most of the press photos of him were from when he was thirteen and hadn’t quite hit the bulk of puberty. Now, with his hair grown out, he was virtually unrecognizable on his own. If he had agents with him, it would make people stop and focus — wonder why some random omega had bodyguards — but if he was on his own, or with just Natasha, he could make it through the day without being gawked at.

All of those things were things he _tried_ to tell himself while on the verge of panic in a large lecture hall, but well… panic did what panic wanted.

He survived, though, despite the panic. Once they arrived back to the apartment building — and only 2 hours late thanks to Clint’s super disastrous driving in the city — Natasha got him all settled in the apartment before smiling and leaving him alone. She had a few tasks to take care of around town (mostly grocery shopping and buying better furniture than what had been provided), and well… he had a _meeting._

Ten minutes after she left, there was a knock on the door. Bucky wiped his sweaty hands on his pants and moved over to the door. He was expecting a pregnant omega on the other side of the door… but he was _not_ expecting the giant that stood waiting. “Holy—”

A hand shot out, at the same time that the giant grinned. “Thor.”

“B-Bucky.” He stepped aside and let the other man walk in. “You’re—”

“I like your home, Bucky.” Thor moved in, taking in the space before kicking his flip flops off by the door.

“Thanks?” He followed Thor into the living room, still completely unsure of what was happening. Was it rude to ask someone how they became a giant omega? Probably. Where was Natasha when he needed her… “Should I get you a drink?”

“Yes please. Water would be most refreshing.” Bucky handed him a glass, and Thor drank it all in one sitting. “You’ll forgive my manners, this pup has me drinking like crazy this past week. So Bucky do you know why am I here for your or what my purpose is?”

“I uh…” He moved over to his newest favorite chair and sat down, quickly pulling his legs up so that he was curled into a small ball. “I’m supposed to seduce an alpha? I have three months. My father hired you to do what you can to make me _presentable_ as an omega.”

“Well that is indeed why he contacted me. I am more of a life coach for omegas. I have a few books and was on ‘Ellen’ once. Wonderful woman. Anyways I am merely here to help you reach your potential. Can you seduce this alpha of yours? I believe so, because in your own adorable way,” he said gesturing towards Bucky, “You have seduced me now. Now do I think you can seduce any alpha? I wouldn’t recommend it, it’s always better to listen to your heart on these manners. I’ll have to introduce you to my mate one of these days. So I’ll be here a few days a week, as contracted. However we shall have a time to teach and then a time to apply and reflect. How does that sound?”

“Exhausting,” Bucky answered, honestly. “I’m eighteen? And well… a documented genius. But that doesn’t win alphas. I never even _wanted_ an alpha. I don’t want any of this.”

“It’s a lie that alphas want a certain type of omega. Each is unique just as you are. Genius may turn some away but I invite you to look at me. I look more alpha than omega, and I assumed I would be alone. That is not the case, as you can see.” He said rubbing his large stomach. “And I’m sorry you don’t want this, I feel I can be blunt with you. I didn’t want this position either, it goes against my morals. But your father can be very persuasive. Have you at least met this alpha you are to pursue? Could you grow to care for him or her?”

“I—” He thought about the alpha that Pierce had given him an entire portfolio on. “I’ve seen them from a distance. And read a dossier on them. If Pierce thinks they’ll approve of me, he must know something. He could have gotten any omega, to be fair.”

“Yes he could, but you are a catch too. We’ll show him he is lucky to have you. Now what do you think is the most important lesson I could teach you about seducing an alpha?”

Bucky scrunched up his nose. “Probably how to present properly. Isn’t that all an alpha cares about?”

“Not at all. When the time comes I promise your instinct and theirs will come into play. The difference between an average omega and an extraordinary one is attitude. Attitude is like a price tag that simply shows how valuable you are. Regardless of what some knotheads will tell you, the extraordinary have a great sense of self worth and self esteem. There is a time for submission but that is not for courtship, that is for after when building towards intimacy. So the important thing isn’t that you act a part, it’s that you stay genuine to yourself. So tell me who you are and I’ll tell you how to use that to your advantage.”

With a sigh, Bucky nodded his head. It didn’t matter either way. It didn’t matter what he wanted. Natasha had a back-up plan, yes, but knowing Bucky’s luck… it wasn’t going to get him anywhere. At some point he was going to have to accept the fact that he was going to end up mated to an alpha that he didn’t like or want. At least Thor seemed nice enough. Even if he was on Pierce’s payroll, he didn’t seem like the type to treat Bucky negatively just for the sake of a better paycheck.

“Okay. Okay, I get it. Where do we start?”

* * *

“How did it go?”

Bucky was in the midst of towel drying his hair, wearing only a pair of cotton boxers, when Natasha walked through his open bedroom door and sat down on his bed. She had a bag of flavored almonds — her newest snack craving. The fact that he was nearly naked with her there, barely even phased him anymore. When he first met her, he had been completely different, but at some point she became his big sister and mother rolled into one. If he was sick in bed, there was only _one_ person he wanted near him, and it was Natasha.

“Did you see him?” Bucky asked, throwing his towel back into the bathroom and grabbing his hairbrush. Without asking, he sat down on the floor in front of Natasha and handed her his brush.

Natasha snorted, beginning to slow brush out his still damp hair. “Not your typical omega. I’m guessing Pierce had his assistant pick the best without researching too hard.”

“Probably.” Bucky tilted his head back to look at Nat. “Will you do the braid thing?”

She rolled her eyes, but there was the smallest hint of a smile. “Only because you need the confidence tonight.”

“You’re my favorite.”

“My only competition is Clint.”

Bucky felt her begin sectioning off his hair. “Still. I love you more than him.”

* * *

They had discussed their plan a lot. Worked out the kinks until they felt like they had every aspect controlled. The biggest issue was Bucky. He had absolutely zero confidence in the idea of being able to seduce an alpha for a one night stand. Long term, like he had discussed with Thor, was a completely different story. He wasn’t confident about that either, but at least he would have time to try, fail, and get better.

But a one night stand was a completely different ballgame. He would have one chance to find the perfect alpha to ‘seduce’... and if he couldn’t get pregnant the first time, their timeline would be set back until the next time he hit his peak fertility. 

Essentially… he _couldn’t_ fuck up. No matter how nervous he was. 

Natasha had an ace up her sleeve though.

He walked out into the living room, completely dressed in the outfit that Natasha had decided on — black jeans and a blue and black button-up — to find Natasha and Clint waiting by the kitchen island. Natasha had a small glass vial and syringe laying in front of her. When Bucky stepped closer, she smiled softly. “It’ll take about an hour to set in. Clint and I will be there to monitor the reaction.”

“The key is that you _cannot_ go home with the alpha,” Clint said, like Bucky hadn’t already heard that at least a hundred ttimes.

“Right. You’ll be especially susceptible to mating.” 

Bucky stared at the bottle. Omexon. It wasn’t a thing you went to your pharmacist for; it was a street drug that simulated a heat in omegas — making them highly fertile and both aroused and desperate. He would also have heat pheromones working to his advantage, drawing in the alphas that he normally wouldn’t be able to hold the attention of.

Natasha put the syringe into the vial and began extracting the drug. “Get in. Get fucked. Get out.”

Get in. Get out. 

Get fucked.

* * *

He was technically too young to get into the club. But the place was one that Clint had been a regular at when he grew up in New York. He knew the owners. When the group of three got to the club, looking relaxed (and smelling horny, in Bucky’s case), the bouncer didn’t even blink, just nodded his head at Clint and moved the rope for them to enter. 

Natasha had also given Bucky a migraine pill. When he’d taken it, he had frowned, unsure that it was really necessary to add a pain and caffeine pill on top of the other. But he never questioned Natasha’s wisdom in such matters. As soon he walked into the club, to the thumping bass and flashing lights, he knew exactly why she had given it to him. His head hurt despite the pill.

Another stipulation of the whole thing was that he wasn’t to drink anything alcoholic. Alcohol would react negatively with the Omexon and change the way his body reacted into ways they couldn’t control.

_’Alphas will be distracted by your scent. If they force a drink on you, remember that you can fake taking a sip and they’ll never notice that the drink isn’t actually leaving the glass.’_

Natasha and Clint were scoping the crowd, finding the correct alpha for him. He was in such a happily buzzed mood that he didn’t really care, he had to admit. His skin itched a bit, the way it did the days before his heat. And he wasn’t wet, but he was definitely turned on. 

“There.” Natasha… or maybe Clint, he wasn’t really paying attention?

“That one? Tall blonde?”

“He’s speaking something Scandinavian. Probably here just for school. Not vacation… too many college kids around him.”

“Helpful.”

“And he’s one drink too many. He probably won’t remember anything. Also, he has looked at Jay exactly five times in the last five minutes.”

Bucky snorted. _Jay?_ Someone had decided it would be smart not to use his real name. Or his nickname. But what kind of name was _Jay_?

Fingers snapped in front of his face. Bucky blinked, realizing suddenly that he had zoned out at some point. “I’m okay,” he mumbled.

Clint laughed and Natasha shook her head. “I guess this is what he’s like drunk?”

Clint slapped a hand onto Bucky’s shoulder, startling him. When Bucky jumped and looked directly at Clint, his bodyguard smiled. “I’m going to steer you towards your alpha, okay? He just went to the dance floor. So you’re going to go dance, get his attention. Got it?” Bucky nodded, even though the words weren’t really making sense. Why did he need an alpha? He was only eighteen. He didn’t want an alpha!

The next thing he knew he had blinked and was suddenly in the middle of a crowded dance floor, bodies pressing against him from all sides. Where was Natasha? He should go home! He needed to study for that thing next week… calculus? No. He knew calculus. Physics? _Let’s get physical… physical…_

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/185169885@N02/48957741082/in/dateposted-public/)

“You smell fucking amazing,” a deep voice whispered right in his ear. 

Who was that? Why did he smell good? Mmm. Was that an actual alpha cock pressed against his ass? His mouth formed words and his voice spoke, but it was too loud for his brain to understand what he was saying.

No..Wait. That wasn’t how things worked…

Ohh.

Another blink and it was suddenly quiet and he moaned, happy to be away from the thumping music. 

“Shit, such a pretty little thing aren’t you?”

Who…

He looked up, saw the pretttiest blue eyes he’d ever seen in his life. The shade of his mother’s curtains. He loved those curtains. Spilt chocolate milk on those curtains when he threw his cup in the sink once and—

_”Bucky.”_

“Whoops,” he mumbled. Pretty eyes wasn’t supposed to know his name. Bucky laughed, his head falling back against the wall of a bathroom stall. Something was happening to his neck. 

Suddenly the world spun a bit and he was _floating_. Wow. That was fun!

“Gonna fuck you so good, ‘mega.”

Oh he was so full. It felt like a revelation. Skin shivering at every touch but it wasn’t the cold of the air around them it was _desire._

Was that what being wanted felt like? Teeth scraped down along his chest. Natasha was going to laugh at him for being so purple tomorrow, why was he purple?

“There.There. Yessss.”

_Mmm._

“Bucky!”

He jolted in the backseat of a car, felt too much motion and immediately leaned forward and puked on his shoes.

“Aww, car, nooo.”

“Did your friend say anything about the come down?”

“Said it’s just like being drunk and hungover.”

“‘m sleepy,” he mumbled. Why was he so sore?

Someone was petting his hair. That was nice. He was gonna sleep.

Yeah.

Sleep was good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you are reading things based on the proper timeline:
> 
> \--- **[CLICK HERE FOR NEXT CHAPTER](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21155711/chapters/50353337)** \---


	3. Chapter 3

For some reason Natasha, Clint, and Thor, all thought the best preparation for his forced romance was to practice with a blind date. 

It was a bit like zookeepers throwing fresh meat to wild animals. 

He was completely opposed to the entire idea until Natasha informed him that his lab partner Tony, from physics, was the one who knew the alpha he would be meeting. And Tony was a bit obnoxious and wild with his science theories… but he definitely seemed trustworthy, so Bucky agreed.

From that first set up… he met _Steve._

To say that he was nervous, would be the understatement of the century. The entire time, sitting across from the alpha, he felt like he was going to spontaneously combust because of embarrassment. When did he start sweating so much? Why wouldn’t his hands stop shaking? Had his voice always sounded so stupid? And why did it sound like a dying whale noise when he took a sip of his drink?

It really was no big shock at all that he had gotten pissed over something stupid and taken it out on Steve. Why was he so offended over a damn drink, when Steve had obviously realized that he _hated_ black coffee? His own anxiety over ordering the first thing he could think of, had turned into a big mess and…

Well, to say that he was shocked about a second date, wouldn’t be saying much at all. 

He spent the next week complaining to Natasha about how stupid he was, ignoring her arguments about how he was obviously getting used to what it was like to date an alpha. Thor looked like he wanted to lift Bucky up into the air and spin him around. He continued to warn them that just because he had succeeded once, didn’t mean he would continue to.

There was another date, though. And he survived.

And then suddenly date _three_ was there and Bucky was agreeing to meet Steve at his _apartment._ ‘You fiend!’ Clint had said, when he found out.

It was all just… so much better than he ever expected dating to be. But it didn't change the fact that he at least had to _try_ and 'seduce' Pierce's alpha. So despite the fact that it felt like he was cheating on Steve, he let Natasha set up the meeting.

* * *

It was a monumentally bad idea. Bucky was going to have that written on his damn tombstone. _Here lies an idiot that went along with bad ideas._

As he walked into the entrance of the park, he fidgeted with his hair and wished that he had Nat or Clint there with him. They had all decided it was something that he should do on his own, though. He had been in New York for eight weeks… had spent eight weeks learning from Thor about how to make himself _lovable_ for an alpha. And time was running out. He had to convince this damn alpha that he was the _one._

So he was in Central Park, trying to seem cheery despite the fact that he felt like throwing up. Why the fuck did _outside_ smell so fucking bad?!

He pulled his phone out, ready to text Natasha and request a quick extraction… when he heard a variety of dogs barking happily. Rounding the next corner he saw what he had come for, a large tent and a variety of metal pens that were housing shelter dogs. Bucky took a deep breath and walked closer, blending into the crowds as he went. All he knew about his mark was that it was a blonde alpha with an accent.

He had actually been there for ten or fifteen minutes, when there was a ruckus of barking and voices and laughter behind him.

"I told you that walking Jiminy might be a hassle. He's a great dog but he still has the energy of a puppy!"

"The profile said he was seven!"

Bucky's heart had gone a bit cold and steel like when the voices were close enough to distinguish words. He didn't care about the woman who was apparently flabbergasted by the thought of a seven year old dog still having energy. No… he only cared about the male voice. 

He spun slowly, carefully, and watched the two walk closer with a chocolate lab on a leash that the woman was trying to keep a hold of. 

_Why!_ Why him? Why now?

Why _that_ alpha?

* * *

\--- **Six Weeks Prior** \---

* * *

_"I don't see how this is going to help."_

_ Natasha laughed at his pouting and continued to fix his appearance. "Better to have options."_

_"I thought plan B was the pregnancy thing. We don't even know that it's failed yet!" Bucky was not ashamed of the pouting. Some people forgot that he was only eighteen-fucking-years old. He had lived a weird life and sometimes he groused over things he couldn't change._

_Natasha was used to his antics and completely unphased. "Right. We are on a three month timeline and you want to risk everything on the hopes that you got pregnant that first time?"_

_"But going on a blind date? What are we doing… crossing our fingers and hoping that all of Thor's lessons are paying off early? I'm not going to have any better luck attracting this guy than I am our damn mark! At least with him I have background information to work with."_

_"That's the point, though. Dating and love are spontaneous. You aren't supposed to meet someone and already know their entire life."_

_Bucky blinked, looking up at his reflection in the bedroom mirror. He looked ridiculous. "I think you're just testing me against rejection. How do we even know this guy is kosher?"_

_"Clint is friends with his roommate. They worked a couple jobs overseas together. Oh! You know him. Stark? He's in that one class with the big words."_

_A frown appeared on Bucky’s face. “Tony Stark. Clint knows Tony Stark? That is… that is the weirdest fucking thing I think I’ve ever heard.” Natasha shrugged. “Not only that but… we’re going to trust Stark’s opinion of an alpha? This is a disaster just waiting to happen, Nat.”_

_“James.” She turned his face so that he was looking directly into her eyes, “Without taking these chances, we will end up forced into Pierce’s plan. I know that you don’t want that… and I know that this is scary, but we have to try, at least. There is absolutely no harm in trying. So you will go on this date, you will be your annoyingly charming self, and you will not pout once. Got it?”_

_He bit his bottom lip, waiting for a long moment before finally looking down and whispering, “Will you and Clint be there if it all goes bad?”_

_Natasha kissed his temple. “Of course.”_

__

* * *

“Bucky?”

There was no world where he could have made it out of the park faster than Steve recognized him. He stared at the ground, felt the frost creeping into his soul. There was… there was no way to fix it. He wanted to run. Just… fucking _go_. Leave behind his life and pray that no one in the future ever realized who the fuck he was.

Steve had apparently handed off the dog to another volunteer, because suddenly he was standing in front of Bucky. There was concern eeking from his scent. “Is everything okay? We didn’t… did Tony tell you I was going to be here? How did you…” 

So why even try? He continued to stare at the ground as he pushed past Steve and hurried to the path that would exit back out of the park.

“Bucky!” 

_Fuck._

“Bucky, wait!” 

The other man was much faster than he was, and it took little effort for Steve to catch up to him and halt his progress. “What the hell, Buck! What is going on? You smell… god, you’re _scaring_ me, Bucky.”

“I can’t—” he shook his head, still refusing to make eye contact. He felt emotions welling up, threatening to burst free, but quickly shut them down. “I can’t do this anymore, Steve. I can’t— I can’t see you again.”

He could hear Steve’s breath stutter at the words. Then, quietly, gently, “Bucky… what did I do? Please let me fix it. Please don’t walk away from this without at least giving me a chance.”

Bucky turned his features to stone and finally met Steve’s gaze. “There is nothing to fix, because there is _nothing_.”

“Fuck there isn’t. I _love_ you, Bucky.” He flinched at the words, sharper than a blade across the face. Steve wasn’t done. “You’re my soulmate. My omega. _Mine._”

“You’re my mission, Steve.”

Steve’s eyebrows creased into a frown. “What?”

“My mission. _You._ I was sent here to seduce you. None of this was real! It was all fake.” He watched confusion get replaced with anger and hurt. Good. If Bucky could cut off all ties… “Consider this a blessing. I’m telling you now, instead of letting things go farther.”

“You can’t fake—”

“Sweden, right? I don’t know the specifics, but I’m guessing your country recently stumbled upon a new industry that will be worth billions? Suddenly getting a lot of calls from other nations wanting to be closer friends than before? I’m guessing there was a recent call from President Pierce where your people told him off. Said something about how you would never work for a man who treated his own people so poorly; someone who handled immigration like it was a disease that needed to be eradicated.”

The anger was translating to Steve’s scent, spreading around them like a haze. “Bucky, how did you—”

“James Buchanan Pierce. That’s my legal name. When Alexander adopted me, it was changed by law, but I still choose to use Barnes. It prevents the media from catching on, and it reminds me of my parents.” Bucky stared into those sharp blue eyes that had been haunting his dreams, for one more long moment. “Adjö, Steve.”

That time, the alpha didn’t follow.

* * *

Instead of going straight back to the apartment, he paid a few dollars and hopped on a subway heading towards Brooklyn. It was the moment that he sat down on the train that realization started to dawn.

Meeting Steve hadn’t been a coincidence. It hadn’t been _luck_ and it certainly hadn’t been fate. Natasha and Clint and set up that first date. A friend of a friend.

_Right._

The more likely answer was that Natasha had realized he would never have the emotional capacity to actually try and ‘seduce’ someone that he didn’t know. It was never going to happen. But if Bucky went into the entire mess without realizing it was happening, he would be more open to it all. Friendlier. Happier. Less shy.

Able to actually fall in love.

Natasha and Clint had shoved him at Steve, creating the illusion of it being his own decision, when he fell for the alpha.

And it had worked. Simple. Precise. 

Heartbreakingly accurate. As if Alexander Pierce himself had planned it all out.

And what if he had?

What if even Clint and Natasha’s friendship was just an illusion? It made sense. Was there any other reason why Pierce would suddenly let him go to New York without having someone like Rumlow keeping track of him?

He got off at the next train station. Crossed over to the opposite tracks and waited for the train heading back into the station. Once he was on it, he sent a text message to Natasha.

`**Bucky:** Hey, I came to Brooklyn to find my childhood home and I’m lost. Can you and Clint bring the car? `

`**Nat:** Brooklyn?! WTH what happened?`

He spent the next few minutes texting back and forth with Natasha. Finding a random spot in Brooklyn to give her as his location. Telling her that the meet up had been a lot and he had gone looking for a distraction.

When he got back to the apartment, apparently the ruse had worked, because the place was empty. Factoring in traffic at that time of day, he knew that he had at least an hour… but he gave himself fifteen minutes and set to work. 

Fifteen minutes later, he rolled his suitcase to the door and looked back at the place. 

_Go,_ the voice in his head whispered.

If he didn’t leave then, he would forever be under Pierce’s control. 

He couldn’t… it wasn’t a life he was prepared to live.

So he stepped out, and closed the door softly behind him.

His phone was still lying on the kitchen counter. It was the easiest way that they would have to track him, so he wasn’t going to mess with it. He had a stash of money that he had been gradually putting together in case Pierce ever cut him off, so it was tucked safely in his bag along with his passport. 

He took a cab to the airport. Paid with the credit card he knew Pierce would be monitoring. When he got there, he scanned the board for a few minutes, before finding the first flight to Europe. Bucharest. Interesting choice. It would work. He paid for the ticket with his credit card as well… then went to an ATM and pulled out all of the cash that he could from all of his accounts. He left the card in the machine and walked away.

They would track his passport, know he went to Europe. But it wouldn’t matter… by the time they got that far, he would already be gone.

It was scary. He was so scared that he had actually stopped to buy a can of scent removal spray, so that people in the airport and on the plane wouldn’t catch on to him.

It wasn’t even the running that was the scary part, though. No, it was the idea that he was going alone. Without Natasha and Clint by his side… _protecting_ him.

“It wasn’t real,” he whispered. 

That one line was enough to get him on the plane. He would keep saying it, as much as he needed to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you are reading things based on the proper timeline:
> 
> \--- **[CLICK HERE FOR NEXT CHAPTER](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21155711/chapters/50353442)** \---


	4. Chapter 4

\--- **One Year Later** \---

* * *

A day never passed where he didn’t glance over his shoulders a few times to check and see if anyone was following him. It was a constant fear — even twelve fucking months later. He was so paranoid over being found, that he had a rule to never spend more than eight weeks in one location. It was both a blessing and a curse. It was amazing getting to experience so much of the world, but the omega side of him was so miserable that he spent most mornings ill.

Omegas loved to nest — it was a fundamental part of their nature. So having spent twelve months in seven different countries hadn’t actually been _ideal._ In fact… he was honestly struggling to keep it up. It was approaching week eight and the idea of moving was so daunting that he wasn’t sure he was going to be able to do it. His most recent ‘home’ was a small community in Holland that didn’t contain a single roadway — everyone traveled either by walking or boating down the many intersecting canals around town. 

It was a breathtaking place… and it was easy to see why people that enjoyed quiet vacations, would sneak away to that particular spot.

He had lucked into the opportunity to go there. While in Germany, working as a waiter in a tourist town, he had struck up a conversation with a Dutch woman who was there visiting her son, who had just had a baby. Making friends, talking about life, suddenly she was saying how nice it would be to have someone like him working at her small bed and breakfast. He had asked her where it was, heard the name of the town and immediately agreed.

She had a small cottage out behind the main inn that she bestowed as his… he loved every inch of it all.

That week, he was tasked with his first week of _management_ (aka: the lady of the house had gone to visit her grandchild and he was in charge)... and considering that the whole place had been rented out for the entire week to one client, he wasn’t too stressed. Monday morning dawned bright and early and he turned over in bed to see the sweet face staring back at him.

“Good morning, beautiful,” he whispered. A moment later a small fist reached out and bopped him on the nose. “An accurate reaction to Monday, as per usual. Shall we get a bottle before our new guest arrives?”

When he first left New York, his main fear was being alone. It took about four weeks in Europe before he realized that he definitely _wasn’t_ alone. Whatever had happened that night in New York, had apparently worked, because he was pregnant.

Now, his beautiful bundle of joy was five months old and the light of his life.

The problem was: if omegas loved to nest, omegas with children were even more desperate to have a constant home environment. Now that his daughter was crawling, he was desperate… what would it hurt? Did they really care where he was after so long? He could just stay…

Their VIP guest was due to arrive after breakfast, so Bucky spent the morning making sure the house was still presentable, while the baby played in her pinned off area of toys. At ten, he deemed everything perfect and picked her up to give her a bottle. After that she went down almost immediately for her morning nap — tucked away in the travel crib that he was allowed to keep in the office.

He had a baby monitor sitting next to him as he got comfortable at the front desk area and worked on continuing to organize Maeve's computer system and small website.

It was a long way from physics and engineering… but at least he was safe. They were safe.

A boat floated into view about thirty minutes later. Bucky nodded, standing up and gathering the paperwork he would need to process for the check in. 

The door opened. "Welcome to the inn," he called over his shoulder. "I'm just getting the papers for you. One more moment."

"Oh, fuck."

Bucky's blood ran cold and the scent of omega fear seeped into the air. He dropped the stack of papers and moved five feet to his left to put a hand on the handle of the office door. They wouldn't take him. He had trained. Taken self-defense classes in Italy and France. He was ready. 

Slowly, he spun around, hand still on the door handle as he faced… Tony. The two stared at each other for a long silent moment, before the door opened behind Tony and Steve walked in, attention so focused on his phone that he ran directly into Tony's back. "Seriously, Tony? What the heck. Are we checked in yet? I have some things to take care of."

He had imagined that scenario playing out so many times that he was practically prepared for anything. What he wasn't prepared for was that the first people he would see would be Tony and Steve. They weren't… he had watched the news. Steve was set to get married to a prince from Sokovia in a week and a half. Steve was supposed to be a distant memory from that past life. One that Bucky looked back on when he was tired and sad.

He wasn't supposed to show up out of nowhere and ruin Bucky's plans.

"Steve," Tony spoke, "were there rooms at the hotel this week?"

"Nope. Family wedding, booked the town up. We're lucky Maeve hates the family getting married. What's the prob—" Steve finally looked up and froze, meeting Bucky's eyes instantly, "-lem."

"There's that little beach in Greece you always liked… I could call and see if they have a spot?" Tony was obviously fumbling for a quick solution to the problem presented before him. Always the scientist.

Bucky's name had been in exactly two press releases since he ran. The first was some drabble about him traveling for a year since he had finally finished his degrees, the second was lies about the alpha he had met and mated in Romania. They had even paid a man in Bucharest to say they were mates. 

Even still, he had always expected Rumlow to show up one day, ready to cart him back.

"_Bucky_," Steve finally spoke, voice barely above a whisper.

"I'll… uhm… I'll call Maeve back from her holiday. I'll check you in and then stay away until she gets back to help." He quickly shoved the papers across the desk, his eyes focused on the wood grain, rather than Tony and Steve. "Just sign at the bottom. Payment was taken care of." He pushed keys across as well. "There."

He expected an angry alpha scent to start permeating the room but there was nothing. No scent at all. _Blockers._ Made sense, for royalty. Didn't want to give away their feelings on any matter. 

Pierce had never blocked his scent. He used it as a damn weapon.

"Tony, can you take care of the bags." Steve shoved the key at Tony, before leaning down to sign the papers. Once Tony had gone upstairs, Steve took a deep breath. "Don't call Maeve. She warned us beforehand that she would be gone on holiday. She doesn't get enough of those. If it makes you uncomfortable to be here, we can handle our own meals."

Everything sounded so… _formal._

Bucky didn't point out that it was probably Steve who should be uncomfortable. He simply nodded. "I'll come in early to prep meals. I'll leave them warming in the kitchen, and stay out of your hair. If you pick an hour a day that you'll be out, I can get cleaning done then."

Steve nodded. "We usually go to lunch in town. Noonish."

Silence settled around them. Bucky continued staring at the desk, until Steve gathered his things and moved to walk away. He finally looked up. "Please don't… please don't tell anyone. Or at least give me time to pack. A chance to move on so they can't find me."

"I have no one to tell," Steve replied, before turning and walking up the stairs.

* * *

Despite Steve's words, he knew that he would have to leave. He spent the rest of the afternoon feeling ill just at the thought. He missed having a home. Even under Pierce's control, at least he had a stable home environment. 

He prepped the meal stuff for dinner in his own apartment, so that he didn't accidentally run into either Steve or Tony. Once it was ready, he walked it to the main house as quickly as possible. 

There was a fundamental problem with having Steve so close… and she was sitting right inside the baby gate blocking the entry of the apartment, waiting for him to walk back. Cooing and babbling happily while watching him.

“She’s cute.”

Bucky jumped, spinning around and staring at Tony with panic in his eyes. Tony and Steve were supposed to be gone still! Bucky had watched the boat roll away. Hadn’t he checked to see if it was back, before he crossed the yard? Oh. Wait… he had gotten distracted by prepping another bottle.

Tony was sitting in one of the garden chairs, beneath the shade of a tree. It was a quiet spot right outside Bucky's place where he liked to sit and let his little girl roam. Tony didn't look angry, though, only a bit amused. Bucky scoffed. "Please—"

"You know, technically she's a princess."

Bucky sucked in a quick breath and squeezed his eyes shut. "She isn't his."

Tony laughed. "James, I'm an _actual_ genius. One who has spent their entire life with Steve. If the looks weren't a dead giveaway, the scent definitely is." He tilted his head, continuing to watch her. "What I'm stuck on is how. Because I know for a fact that you two didn't sleep together while dating…"

"I had sex once," Bucky answered. "The plan was to try and get pregnant, cause a scandal that would make Pierce angry and disown me. They gave me a street drug to react the way a heat would, that also made me fertile. Then they pushed me at an alpha that looked acceptable. I didn't realize then that they had already picked out Steve as the mark, long before I knew."

Tony cursed under his breath in Swedish, then shook his head. "We have to tell him—"

"This is all I have," he gasped. "I can't…" Bucky shook, tears gathering in his eyes at the thought of Steve taking her from him. "He'll take her. Please, I can't lose her!"

Tony opened his mouth to reply but was immediately cut off. "Inside, Tony." They both turned to see Steve walking out from the back of the main house. Tony didn't hesitate to listen to the instructions. He gave Bucky one last quick look before turning and heading into the house. Steve stepped up to Bucky, but his gaze was drawn completely to the little girl sitting right inside the back cottage door. 

Apparently the argument with Tony had triggered his fear, but having Steve there _watching_... _seeing_ her, was too much. Bucky could only guess that he was creating a mile wide stink with the amount of fear and stress pheromones that he was releasing into the air. It took no time at all for a sharp cry to sound from the cottage. Bucky whimpered, head ducked in submission even though he wanted to turn and grab his daughter and hold her close. He was afraid to move, afraid that the alpha before him would lash out at any moment. 

“Hey,” Steve whispered, stepping forward and holding his hand out in a placating manner. “It’s okay. You can… go ahead. I’m not…” He took a deep breath. “I’m upset, but I’m not _angry._”

As soon as permission was given, Bucky turned and quickly scooped her up, leaning his head down to nuzzle his nose against the junction of her neck and scent her. “Shh. Shhh.”

He knew that Steve had stepped closer, but he bit back the aggressive action that wanted to burst out of him, in order to protect his child. Steve rounded to the side of him and tilted his head. “She really is beautiful.”

Bucky wanted to curl around her, keep her father from fully seeing her… but what good would it do? Steve was a fucking _prince_. If he wanted custody of his child, he was damn sure going to win it over a runaway omega who had hidden the girl from him while being mostly homeless.

Steve reached out, brushing the back of his finger against her cheek to wipe away a teardrop. “What’s her name?”

Bucky refused to look at him. “Josephina Evelyn Rebecca. I call her Evie.”

Steve’s breath caught at the name. Bucky knew it was silly, at the time, but when he had been going on dates with Steve, he had thought about what life would be like if they got together in the future. How could he not? So when Steve had talked with such love and pain about his father, and how much he had missed the man… well, Bucky decided right then and there that the obvious move would be to name any children after the man. 

The effect that that knowledge had on Steve was obvious. He looked a bit sad, as he blinked away his emotions and pointed towards the cottage. “Do you think we could talk? I could go grab a couple plates of that casserole?”

Bucky moved to the doorway, grabbing the baby gate and moving it out of the way. “I have another batch in here for us. Evie is due for a nap.” 

“_Oh._” Steve followed him into the small house and glanced around, but his attention quickly went back to Bucky and Evie. “Do you… do you think I could rock her?”

His heart squeezed at the question. It was a double-edged blade… wanting to see his child being loved by her alpha, while also fearing losing her. He turned, kissing Evie’s cheek, and holding her out to Steve. “She might need to scent you a bit; figure out who you are. Then she’ll settle.”

Steve held the girl like she was a precious entity that he feared ever hurting. As instructed, he allowed her head to nuzzle against his neck so she could scent him. After a couple moments, the girl yawned and snuggled against him. Steve moved her into a more comfortable position, resting her head in the crook of his elbow, before swaying gently as he made his way over to the rocking chair in the corner. Once he had sat, Bucky moved over on instinct and placed a pillow under his elbow so he would be comfortable. 

Bucky almost wanted to cry at the sight of them. He had dreamed images just like that one… but never expected it to come true. “I’m going to heat the casserole, while you rock,” he motioned behind him at the small kitchenette attached to the living room. “You can talk while I do, if you want. Don’t worry about disturbing her… she’ll be down for the count despite conversation.”

Steve rocked the baby gently, his eyes fixed to her. "Is what you told Tony true? There was just me?"

He did all he could to remain distracted with cooking. He didn't want to sit and watch Steve and Evie and turn into a pile of goo and longing. "Yes. Only ever. I don't know for sure… but I'm guessing that Nat and Clint knew all along that they were forcing us together one way or another. 

"They didn't."

Bucky stopped, turning and looking at Steve in confusion. "What?"

"The information packet they had on me, had a picture of my body double, Johnny. Natasha believes there was some kind of mix up, from whoever did the initial research. To be fair, we look like twins and his picture is as readily available as mine, for security purposes."

He was confused. "How do you know all of that?"

"I was angry when you left. _Very_ angry. So when Natasha and Clint showed up searching for you… well, we had a bit of a scuffle. And once we had stopped yelling, the interrogation started. It took a while, but we finally started to understand what had happened, until we realized that the only villain in this story was President Pierce."

Bucky went back to cooking, finishing prepping the oven and placing the casserole dish in it. Just hearing his adopted father's name was causing anxiety to race down his skin. He blinked back tears. What if Pierce was still looking? What would happen to Evie if they were caught. He glanced over his shoulder at Steve and their daughter and sighed. It would kill him but maybe letting her go with Steve would be for the best. She would be well provided for, protected from Pierce… and happy.

That was the important part. Evie deserved to be happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you are reading things based on the proper timeline:
> 
> \--- **[CLICK HERE FOR NEXT CHAPTER](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21155711/chapters/50353580)** \---


	5. Chapter 5

Steve stayed all afternoon and into the late evening. They didn't talk much more, though. Bucky was too stuck in his own head, contemplating how painful it would be to watch Steve walk away with Evie. 

When Steve finally left to go back to the main house, Bucky snuggled his princess for a while, before laying her down in her cot.

How was he going to walk away from something so precious? The largest part of his heart. 

He didn’t sleep much that night, as he contemplated what he should do and whether he should plan on leaving. In the morning, he was up and ready with a bottle before Evie woke. After they had both had breakfast, he carried her across to the main house, so he could cook for Steve and Tony.

The kitchen was already occupied, though. Steve sat at the counter, sipping a cup of coffee and staring at nothing. When he heard them, he glanced up and his face lit up at the sight of Evie. 

Bucky could remember that happiness being focused on him.

"Hello, Princess," Steve said, voice soft as he held his hands out to her. Bucky passed Evie to him and ignored a pang of jealousy and pain in his chest, as he moved to the fridge to grab breakfast fixings. There was some chatter from Steve to the baby, before suddenly the tone changed and… “I couldn’t sleep. Spent all night watching your front door from my room, afraid that you would run.”

He was in the middle of chopping onions and peppers for omelettes when Steve spoke. He gave it another moment, before he set the knife down and clenched his hands on the edge of the counter. One breath. Two. Bucky finally turned to look at Steve. “I’ll spend this week here with you… teaching you the things you need to know. She can go with you when you leave.” He dropped his gaze to the floor. “She’ll be better off there. I can’t give her any of what you can. Hell… we’ve always been one step away from homeless since the day she was born. I’m not… I’m not good enough to be her father.”

“We’re lucky Tony isn’t in this room right now, because he might actually die of laughter.” Bucky chanced looking back up, but Steve’s entire focus was on Evie, even as he continued speaking. “Bucky, I could never replace you. Even when I’m holding her now, Evie only seems happy when she can glance over and make sure that you’re still nearby.” Steve finally looked at him. “I grew up in a world of privilege. I never wanted for anything. When I went off to college, I told my parents that I wanted to do everything on my own…” he snorted, “I lasted a week, before I phoned my mother and told her I needed help. There is something to be said about the type of strength that is found inside of a person, when they rise from nothing. It is something that can’t be taught…”

Bucky rolled his eyes, scratching at the back of his neck. “So what… you _want_ our daughter to be raised in poverty? So she learns how to be a better human?”

“No.” Steve looked down at Evie, kissed her forehead. “I want her to have two parents that know the struggles of the real world. One that has fought against it, and one that has done everything possible to reach out a helping hand.”

“I can’t—”

“I know that literally _none_ of our situation is ideal. And I won’t lie to you and say that I’m not still angry about what happened between you and I… but the fact is, I have to get married in a week. And if I’m going to be spending the rest of my life with someone… then why would I pick an unwilling stranger, instead of my child’s other father?”

* * *

Bucky couldn’t say that he had ever really spent much time imagining what his wedding would look like. As a kid growing up in an orphanage, the thought of marrying a _prince_ was something from fairy tales that they never even considered believing. 

But there he was. 

Steve had obviously spent a lot of time speaking with his mother about the matter, which included telling her about Evie, because the woman had no ill regard for him, when they first arrived. In fact, she seemed rather smitten with Evie, and immediately took the girl into her arms, as the began a somewhat informal tour of Drottningholm Palace. The place was absolutely massive, but thankfully the family residence was situated specifically in the southern wing — so he only had… _a third_ of the massive building to memorize. An assistant to the queen was their current tour guide, and Steve was fooling no one by pretending he wasn’t bored and itching to be elsewhere.

Their schedule was a bit of a mess. They had flown into Stockholm with two days to prepare for the wedding (which included outfitting Bucky and Evie properly for the event and subsequent photos), and Steve had said he would be spectacularly busy during those two days. Apparently he had state meetings, as well as dinners with his previous fiancé and the Sokovian leaders, to make sure there was no hard feelings about the change of agenda.

“Excuse me,” Bucky spoke, interrupting the assistant as she pointed out the easiest way between one room and the next. “One moment,” he held up a finger to her, avoided the queen’s gaze, and turned to Steve. “_Go._”

Steve frowned, eyes darting from Bucky, to his mother, and then back down the hallway in the direction they had come from. “James—”

“Go on. I’m guessing you don’t need a tour, and you’ll know where to find us if you need us.”

Steve let out a breath and nodded, muttering a quick apology to his mother and the assistant, before rushing off. Once he was gone, the queen dismissed the assistant, telling the woman that she was more than capable of finishing the tour. The woman nodded, moving away quickly and leaving them alone. 

“The next stop is your suite of rooms,” Queen Sarah spoke, holding Evie securely in one arm and motioning with her other to the next door. “I was hoping you and I could have a conversation, James.”

Getting called by his first name was going to get very old _very_ quickly, but Steve had been adamant that it was a change that needed to be made. No royalty could go by ‘Bucky’. He opened the door and followed the queen into the large room. 

“Steve said you’ve had some need of a good nest, since this sweetheart arrived, so I want you to know that no one — without your express consent — will be allowed in your main bedrooms.” She motioned to the large living space they were standing in. “This is your living area, the formal bits, of course, when you want staff to bring up meals, they’ll be delivered to this dining space. There’s a seating and lounge area, as well, for having guests over. Through those double doors is your bedroom, Evie’s nursery, and a private kitchen and family room. Television, computer and desk, all of those will be in the family room. Oh! And lavatories, of course.” She rolled her eyes, seeming a bit cheeky as she looked back at him. “All the important stuff.”

The space was… _enormous_. And that was coming from someone who had spent a large amount of time living in the white house. He moved around the formal space for a few minutes, drawn to the large windows that overlooked the gardens and waterways beyond. It was… peaceful. “Where is Steve’s space?”

When he turned back to look at the queen, she was sitting on the floor watching Evie explore the space as well. Evie had mastered sitting up and rolling, but was still working on the wiggles of her body that would propel her forward into a crawl. The queen glanced up, obviously showing a much more relaxed part of herself, than she did around a lot of people. “Steven’s suite is downstairs. At the end of the hall is the staircase. He’s three doors down from there. Boy never liked heights as a child, so his father designated those as his rooms long ago. I think originally it was meant to be a joke, but since we lost Joseph, Steve has been all the more proud of his rooms.”

It hadn’t been said in so many words, but Bucky had accepted one fact about his upcoming nuptials to Steve: Steve had to get married by a certain date; didn’t love the omega he had been engaged to, so what was the difference in that and marrying Bucky, whom he also didn’t love? There was none, other than the benefit of suddenly having a daughter to love.

So it was convenient, nothing more, to marry Bucky rather than the other omega. He took a deep breath and gathered his wandering thoughts. Honestly, was it any different than his relationship with Pierce? _‘I don’t love you but I need you here for appearances.’_

He sat down on one of the fancy-but-uncomfortable sofas and steeled himself. Found that mask of emotions that he had perfected under Alexander Pierce’s rule. _There is a winter storm in my eyes. I am cold. Frozen. Impenetrable. I am the winter soldier._

“You wanted to have a conversation?” he asked, voice formal… _emotionless._

If the queen noticed, she didn’t comment. Instead, she began to talk to him about what he should expect from his new life. It was a forty minute lecture and he was a diligent student. When she left, she showed him the tablet system that would send food and other requests to the staff, as well as giving him updated schedule requirements. 

Then, he was alone. He sat, staring at the rug beneath where his daughter sat for a long and silent moment, before nodding at nothing and standing. He picked Evie up, and for the first time.. escaped into his nest. The kitchen was stocked already, and it was time for lunch.

* * *

On his first morning in Stockholm, he walked out of the private living space to find a young woman close to his own age, with dark curly hair sitting on the formal sofa. She was focused completely on the tablet in her hands and didn't even realize he was there until Evie made a sound. She looked up, caramel eyes meeting his through her curly and unkempt bangs. "Hey. You must be James."

_American._ Despite everyone in the palace speaking perfect English, they still had an accent that was noticeable. Which was why this woman so quickly stood out. "I am. I wasn't expecting company? The schedule said I had half an hour…"

She set her tablet aside and stood, making her way over to him. "I'm Michelle Jones — MJ, if you wanna be less stuffy — I was hired on to be Evie's au pair."

_Huh._

It made sense that there would be a need to find Evie a nanny, but for some reason he hadn't expected it at all. Definitely not so quickly and without his input. How was he supposed to trust someone with his baby, when he knew only her name and that she was American? Who had interviewed her? Had Steve signed off on it? Or, was it just something that he was going to need to get used to in his new life?

MJ smiled sweetly at Evie, obviously aware that Bucky wasn't completely on board. "For the first week, the princess and I are supposed to accompany you to all required events and meetings, so that she learns to trust me while still being near you. I'll also be the one in charge of her well being during the wedding ceremony."

"Sorry. I'm sure you're great at what you do, I just…"

"Have no idea who the eff I am?"

"Yeah." 

"Well I had to go through like six interviews to get the job, as well as three classes and ten security screenings… but it's totally cool if you wanna do your own. I get it."

Well. That made him feel a _bit_ better. "Ten?"

"Yeah. Crazy. I also had to fill out a thirty page packet of non-disclosure paperwork." MJ shook her head. "But I guess that time I killed a fly in fifth grade wasn't enough reason to have me imprisoned."

* * *

Like clockwork, he attended every assigned event and meeting. He stood dutifully for all clothing adjustments, and had Evie looking like a proper princess whenever she was free from their nest. 

MJ followed along constantly, but had a talent for blending into the background. And, remarkably, Evie loved her. Of course, Evie liked a lot of people. Well… a lot of people that weren’t alphas. The only alphas she didn’t cry in the presence of were Steve and Tony. Even if she didn’t see a whole heck of a lot of them. Bucky had no idea what was keeping Steve so busy, but he also didn’t care to ask. He didn’t want to show emotion like that in front of anyone in the palace.

Surprisingly… he didn’t see his husband-to-be again until the morning of the wedding, when they met in their formal attire to take photos on the front lawn and in various other suitable spaces in the palace. Steve greeted Bucky, but beyond that, his attention was more focused on Evie. Which was fine, it was. Because seeing his daughter being doted on lovingly by her alpha soothed something primal for his own omega sense, even if he wasn’t the one that was actually receiving that affection and attention.

After the formal pictures, they had an hour for both of their groups of stylists to make sure they looked put-together still (and for snacks, diaper changes, and bathroom breaks), before it was time for the actual ceremony.

… which Bucky remembered absolutely _zero_ of other than the words ‘I do.’ Royal weddings were something of a massive shebang, and his attention had been drawn almost constantly to the spot where MJ sat in the front row holding a sleeping Evie. And whomever had decided to have the ceremony in the middle of nap time definitely deserved a candy bar or some shit, because his only fear for the whole mess was that Evie would cry and demand his attention when he couldn’t provide it.

There was a large reception party and dinner after the wedding, where Steve and Bucky stood in a line with the express task of greeting _everyone_ that was there for their ‘big day’ (definitely the most exhausting bit), before they were allowed to actually sit and eat dinner. 

“Is your suite of rooms acceptable?” Steve asked, midway through the meal. His tone was formal and despite the fact that he was speaking to Bucky, he still wasn’t _looking_ at him.

“Very much so,” he replied, voice like a wintery frost.

Steve nodded, glanced over to give him a look… and that was that.

Married. He was _married_ to the man that he knew some part of himself would always be in love with.

Happily. Ever. After.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you are reading things based on the proper timeline:
> 
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